Canadian Ultimate Championship Series Manual The Canadian Ultimate Championship (CUC) Series shall be run according to the following guidelines: Table of Contents Section 1: Dates and Deadlines Section 2: Team and Player Requirements Section 3: Qualification, Bids and Seeding Section 4: Tournament Structure Section 5: Tournament Rules Section 6: International Qualification Section 1: Dates and Deadlines 1.0 Dates for CUC 1.0.1 The preferred dates for CUC will be the Thursday through Sunday, both one week (mixed divisions) and two weeks (single-gender divisions) before Labour Day weekend. 1.0.2 The Thursday through Sunday over the weekends immediately before or after the preferred weekend will be accepted if just cause can be shown. 1.1 Dates for Regionals 1.1.1 Ultimate Canada will not have a set weekend for any Regional tournament, but rather a set date when Regions will need to communicate the rank of teams that are making bids to CUC for that year. This date shall be the Monday before July 31 of each year (July 24 th for 2017). 1.1.2 PSOs that act as regional coordinators may individually set a date for regionals in accordance with Ultimate Canada's deadlines. 1.2 Deadlines: Rosters 1.2.1 Teams participating in Regionals must submit their rosters by the Tuesday before the start of the Regional tournament. Only players listed on this roster may play with the team at the Regional tournament. See Section 2.3 for roster information. 1.2.2 All players listed on the roster of a team competing in the CUC (mixed or single-gender division) must be current Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athletes (RCA) in good standing. Players who are not current Registered
Competitive Athletes must sign up for membership on the team roster and submit the appropriate dues with the roster. 1.2.2.1 For Regional Championships only: players on teams that have no intention of competing in the CUC and only intend on playing at a regional championship may purchase a one-event fee instead of a RCA to participate in the event. One-event fees are non-refundable and cannot be applied to a RCA in the future. 1.2.3 Teams attending CUC from Regions that do not have Regional tournaments for their division must submit their rosters, along with Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athlete Fees, to Ultimate Canada no later than the Tuesday at 11:59pm EDT before the last potential Regional Championship weekend each year. This will be considered their regional roster deadline. For 2017 that date is July 18th, 2017. 1.3 Deadline: Fees 1.3.1 Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athletes 1.3.1.1 For teams attending Regionals: All players must have paid their Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athlete fee or one-event fee before competing in a Regional tournament to be considered a valid roster entry. 1.3.2 CUC Player Fees are due no later than July 31 each year. 1.3.3 There is a 25% late penalty for all CUC Player Fees paid after July 31. 1.3.4 Refunds 1.3.4.1 Any team that has paid Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athlete Fees and CUC Player Fees that is not given a bid to CUC will receive a 100% refund on CUC Player Fees. 1.3.4.2 Any team that has paid Team, Player or Ultimate Canada fees and drops out of CUC after being given a bid will only receive a refund on CUC Player Fees. 1.4 Regional Performance Bond 1.4.1 Teams participating in the CUC Series must submit a cheque in the amount of $100 to Ultimate Canada, postmarked June 15, to be eligible for participation at Regional qualifying events, regardless of intentions toward CUC. 1.4.2 Performance bond cheques will only be cashed for any teams that forfeit any scheduled games at Regionals, withdraws from Regionals resulting in a financial loss for the tournament, or to cover a fine assessed to a team. 1.4.2.1 Exceptions will be made for allowable forfeits (see section 5.5.3).
1.5 CUC Performance Bonds 1.5.1 Teams intending to compete in the CUC Series must submit a cheque in the amount of $500 to Ultimate Canada, immediately following Regionals, or by July 15 if no Regionals are required. 1.5.1.1 Alternatively, the $500 performance bond can be paid before June 15 and $100 of it will be considered the Regional performance bond. 1.5.2 If there are fewer teams than bids available on June 15, a second deadline will be set for additional teams to register. This second deadline will not be later than July 31. 1.5.3 CUC Performance Bond cheques will not be cashed unless: - The CUC performance bond cheque is also the regional performance bond and the team forfeits a game at Regionals (except allowable forfeits, see section 5.5.3). - The team accepts a bid for CUC after Regionals and then withdraws their bid - The team attends CUC, but does not pay some or all of their Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athlete Fees or CUC Player Fees ; or - The team is fined for an infraction. 1.5.3.1 A team shall be considered to have withdrawn its bid if either: 1.6 Refunds of performance bonds: - The team qualifies outright for CUC (via Regionals, or automatically when Regionals is not required), then withdraws subsequent to accepting the bid to CUC; or - The team is waitlisted following Regionals, accepts a bid that subsequently becomes available, and then withdraws subsequent to accepting. A waitlisted team that simply declines a bid that becomes available will not be considered to have withdrawn. 1.6.1 Teams that do not qualify for CUC, and teams that attend CUC and pay all Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athlete Fees or CUC Player Fees, will have their performance bond cheques destroyed (or returned if requested). 1.6.2 Teams with fees outstanding will have their performance bond deposited and put toward outstanding fees. If the amount outstanding is less than the performance bond cheque, the difference will be refunded.
1.6.3 Teams that have been fined an infraction will have their cheques deposited and put towards their fine. If the amount of the fine is less than the performance bond cheque, the difference will be refunded. 1.6.4 Teams that qualify for CUC and withdraw their bid will have their performance cheques deposited, but will receive a partial refund if they notify Ultimate Canada sufficiently in advance, as follows: 1.7 Summary of key dates - Team withdraws their bid before July 15: Refund of $375 (net penalty of $125) - Team withdraws their bid before August 1: Refund of $250 (net penalty of $250) - Team withdraws their bid on or after August 1: No refund - May 1, 2017: Registration for CUC opens - June 15, 2017: Registration for CUC closes. Also the deadline for performance bonds - June 16-July 23, 2017: Regional Championship roster deadlines (vary by region) - July 18, 2017: Roster deadline for teams with no Regional Championship. - July 31, 2017: Fee deadline for CUC player fee and Registered Competitive Athlete fee. 25% surcharge after this date. -August 1, 2017 at 8:30 am EDT: Deadline for final roster changes (addition of 5 players, removal of players due to injuries, etc.). Note: All deadlines are 11:59pm EDT of the date listed unless otherwise noted. Section 2: Team and Player Requirements 2.0 Eligibility for the CUC Series 2.0.1 In order for a player to be eligible to play on a team at any level of the CUC Series, that player must meet at least one of the following criteria: 2.0.1.1 They are a Canadian citizen or a Landed Immigrant, or; 2.0.1.2 They are a Canadian resident (living in Canada) and have been playing with their CUC Series team for at least the three months before the start of CUC, or; 2.0.1.3 They have been playing with their CUC Series team for at least six months prior to the start of CUC and have not played in a tournament for
any other team playing in the same division (e.g., Open, Mixed ) as their CUC Series team. 2.0.1.3.1 This requirement states that if a non-resident/non-citizen wishes to play for a team in the CUC Series in the Open (or other) division, then they may not play for any other Open (or other) division team in any tournament for the six months before the start of CUC. 2.0.1.3.2 Players who qualify under section 2.0.1.3 (nonresidents/non-citizens) count toward a team s allocation of out of Region players. See Section 2.3.1.2. 2.0.2 Players may only compete in one division at the CUC. They may not compete in both the junior division and an adult division. They may not compete in both the mixed division and a single-gender division. 2.0.2.1 Junior-aged players (18 or under on December 31 of the year of the CUC) are not automatically eligible to play in adult divisions. In order for them to move up to an adult division, they must apply to do so through the Junior Aged Player Policy. 2.0.2.2 Junior-aged teams are not eligible to compete in the CUC series adult divisions. 2.1 Age Restrictions: The following will be used to determine eligibility for all Masters and Grand Masters divisions (Open, Women s or Mixed) in the CUC Series. The qualification ages for male and female players will be the same within each division. 2.1.1 Open and Male Mixed Masters players must be 33 or older on December 31 of the year of the CUC. 2.1.2 Women s Masters and Female Mixed Masters players is must be 30 years or older on December 31 of the year of the CUC. 2.1.3 Grand Masters (if added) will be defined as players who are 40 years or older on December 31 of the year of CUC. 2.1.4 Masters minimum age is subject to review and possible increase on an annual basis. Any changes to the minimum age will be announced by February 15 of the year of the CUC. 2.1.5 The Mixed Masters age will be set in accordance with WFDF rules and may be changed should the WFDF alter its age. 2.3 Rosters
2.3.1 Teams participating in Regionals must submit their roster before the start of the Regional tournament. Only players listed on this Roster may play with the team at the Regional tournament. 2.3.1.1 Players may only appear on one Regional roster in any single year. However, the player may appear on a different roster at CUC as per both section 2.3.4 & 2.3.5. 2.3.1.2 Teams participating in the CUC Series may have a maximum of three players on their roster that are currently residing outside the team s designated Region as described in Section 3.1.1. 2.3.1.2.1 A player is deemed to be residing in the Region that he/she: a) Is physically located in for 50% of the three months leading up to the CUC, or b) Maintains a legal residence as evidenced by a driver s license or health card. 2.3.1.2.2 A player who qualifies for two Regional residences must declare their Regional residence for the CUC Series. The address listed in the player s registration is assumed to be his/her residence unless they indicate otherwise. Once a Regional residence is declared, it may not be changed that year for the CUC Series. 2.3.1.2.3 Teams participating in a division with 20 teams or more, and thus use a provincial bid distribution model, must have greater than 50% of their roster from their province. 2.3.1.3 ("Border Communities Exception") Teams may apply to the Ultimate Canada competition committee for an exception to rule 2.3.1.2 if the team is based in a community near a Regional boundary. In that case, the team may apply to have players that reside within 50 kilometers of the base community considered "in-region" players. These players would not count toward the allowance listed in 2.3.1.2. 2.3.1.3.1 The "Border Communities Exception" recognizes that neighboring municipalities divided by a Regional boundary (e.g., Ottawa-Gatineau) commonly share a recreational/competitive community. This exception eliminates artificial Regional limitations otherwise dividing such localities. 2.3.1.3.2 To be considered, the applicant team must submit their proposed roster with legal addresses of residence for the listed players.
2.3.1.3.3 The geographic distribution and density distribution of players will be considered to determine the home region for a team applying for an exception under rules 2.3.1.3. 2.3.1.3.4 The geographic distribution and density distribution of players residing in the "home region" (as determined by 2.3.1.3.3) will be used to calculate a single reference point from which all players within a 50km radius will be considered as belonging to that home region. The competition committee will disclose their method and reference point in their judgment. 2.3.1.3.5 Any subsequent changes to the roster that may have resulted in a significant alteration of the reference point in 2.3.1.3.4 will invalidate a Border Communities Exception granted by Ultimate Canada. Ultimate Canada must be notified of such changes. 2.3.2 To be eligible to play in the CUC Series, a team must have a minimum of 14 players on its roster. 2.3.2.1 Additionally, teams competing in a Mixed division must have a minimum of six players of each gender. 2.3.3 Each team is permitted a maximum of 28 players on their CUC Series roster. 2.3.4 If a team that has qualified for the CUC has submitted its roster to Ultimate Canada and has its roster fall below 16 players, they are entitled to add a maximum of 5 players to their roster, or a number of players needed to get their roster to 16, whichever is less. These players must meet all Ultimate Canada CUC requirements for eligibility. New players must also comply with Section 2.3.5. 2.3.4.0.1 For mixed teams, if 2.3.4 does not apply but the number of players of either gender drops below 6 (insufficient roster), they are entitled to add a maximum of 5 players to their roster, or a number of players needed to get to 6 players of that gender, whichever is less. These players must meet all Ultimate Canada CUC requirements for eligibility. New players must also comply with Section 2.3.5. 2.3.4.1 Any changes in submitted rosters (e.g., the addition of up to five players per section 2.3.4, or the removal of players because of an injury or other circumstance) must be made ten days before the start of CUC (July 31 st at 8:30am EDT for CUC and August 7 th at 8:30am EDT for CUC: Mixed in 2017). 2.3.4.2 At any CUC Series tournament, any team that is shown to have an illegal roster after play has started (e.g., a team with players that are not on their roster or that are otherwise ineligible) will forfeit any previously
played game results (see section 5.5.1), and will also be prohibited from playing further at the tournament and the CUC Series with the illegal players. 2.3.4.3 Any team that is shown to have played at any CUC Series tournament with an illegal roster once the tournament is over shall be removed from the final ranking of the tournament. 2.3.5 A player may play on one team at Regionals and another at CUC if the team adding the player meets the criteria under 2.3.4 and the following criteria: 2.3.5.1 The player s team from Regionals did not qualify or is not attending CUC. 2.3.5.2 If a player s team qualifies for CUC at a Regional tournament and attends CUC, then they are only permitted to compete at CUC with that team. 2.4 Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines: Ultimate Canada reserves the right to alter, or require a team to alter, a team name, player nickname, team logo, jersey graphic, or uniform and/or suggest alternatives at or in conjunction with an Ultimate Canada program or event should Ultimate Canada personnel determine that the existing name, logo, graphic, or uniform might hinder the mission of the organization or the goals of a specific Ultimate Canada program or event. Alterations must meet with the approval of Ultimate Canada personnel. 2.4.1 All players participating in the CUC tournament for a given team must wear jerseys of identical color and design. 2.4.2 Teams must have two jerseys of distinctly different color. 2.4.3 Jerseys must have numbers on the back. The numbers must be at least six inches high and be one- or two-digit Arabic numerals. The color of the numbers must contrast sufficiently with the color of the jersey to be distinguishable by event staff and media. No two players on a given team may use the same number or numbers with the same value (e.g., 00 and 0; or 01 and 1). 2.4.4 Uniform bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts) worn by players on the field must be of identical color and design. 2.4.5 Teams must have numbers on either the front of their jerseys or the front left or right leg of their uniform bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts), although teams may opt to do both. The placement(s) must be the same for the whole team. The numbers must be at least two inches high and match the number on the back of their jersey. The color of the numbers must contrast sufficiently with the color of the jersey to be distinguishable by event staff and media. 2.4.6 Names, logos, and graphics on jerseys must comply with the Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines above.
2.4.7 It is recommended that uniform accessories including tights, undershirts, hats and socks be of identical and/or coordinated style and color. 2.4.8 Ultimate Canada reserves the right to fine and/or disqualify players who fail to meet the uniform requirements. 2.4.9 Requirements 2.4.1 through 2.4.8 do not apply to Regional or Provincial championships although it is highly encouraged that they be followed. Section 3: Qualification, Bids, and Seeding 3.0 Number of Teams in each Division 3.0.1 Each of the current playing divisions (Open, Women s, Mixed, Open Masters and Women s Masters) shall have the following number of teams at CUC. 3.0.1.1 Open Sixteen teams. As of 2018 this will change to Twelve teams with automatic expansion to Sixteen if there is sufficient registration. 3.0.1.2 Women s Sixteen teams. As of 2018 this will change to Twelve teams with automatic expansion to Sixteen if there is sufficient registration. 3.0.1.3 Mixed Twenty teams 3.0.1.4 Open Masters Eight teams. As of 2018 this will change to Six teams with automatic expansion to Eight teams if there is sufficient registration. 3.0.1.5 Women s Masters Six teams with automatic expansion to Eight teams if there is sufficient registration. 3.0.1.6 Mixed Masters Six teams with automatic expansion to Eight teams if there is sufficient registration. This division will only take place in 2017 should there be at least 4 teams registered by May 15. 3.0.2 No official playing division will be added to the CUC unless there is a minimum of six teams from four different Regions willing to play in the new division. 3.0.3 With the approval of the Tournament Organizing Committee and Ultimate Canada, a division may be expanded to a greater number of teams where adequate facilities and sufficient interest can be demonstrated within that division. Expanded divisions that may be approved on a one-time basis do not commit Ultimate Canada or future organizers to offer the same expanded size at a subsequent CUC. 3.0.3.1 Decisions to expand a division will be made by the Ultimate Canada Competition Committee in consultation with the CUC
Tournament Organizing Committee. Requests to expand divisions can be made to the Ultimate Canada Competition Committee by May 1 of the tournament year. 3.0.4 Divisions may have fewer teams when not all bids are filled after exhausting the allocation process in Section 3.1. 3.1 Regional Allocations 3.1.1 Regional Definitions 3.1.1.1 Regions are defined as follows: British Columbia (BC) British Columbia Alberta (AB) Alberta Prairies (PR) Saskatchewan and Manitoba Ontario (ON) Ontario Québec (QC) Québec Atlantic (AT) New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador 3.1.1.2 The Territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) are not assigned to any Region, however players residing in the Territories may play for a team in any Region without counting toward a team s out of Region players (as described in Section 2.3.1.2). A team from the Territories can choose to compete for bids from any Region. 3.1.1.3 Divisions with 20 or more teams use provincial boundaries. The territories are counted as a single region under this circumstance. 3.1.1.4 Divisions with 12 or 16 teams will have 8 regions. BC, AB, ON and QC stay the same for these regions. The other 4 regions are: Manitoba (MB) Manitoba Saskatchewan (SK) Saskatchewan Maritimes (MR) New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island Newfoundland & Labrador (NL) Newfoundland & Labrador 3.1.2 Regional Allocations to CUC will be based on the following criteria: 3.1.2.1 Division with six teams
3.1.2.1.1 (6) One spot for each Region (BC, AB, PR, ON, QC, AT) 3.1.2.1.2 (Balance) Remaining spots (including any spots left open from the above sections) will be given out as size wildcards to Regions that have filled all spots from section 3.1.2.1.1. The Region with the most teams registered and paid for the Regional tournament of the same division in the same year as the CUC will get the first spot. The Region with the second-most teams registered and paid for the Regional tournament of the same division in the same year as the CUC will get the next spot and so on. Only teams with a valid roster (Met the roster requirements in section 6.0 with 14 or more players who have paid their Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athlete fee and signed waivers) on June 15 of the tournament year will be counted as registered and paid for size wildcard distribution. In the event that two Regions have the same number of teams, the actual number of registered and paid players will be counted to determine the order of wildcards. If more than six spots become available, the next spot will start at the top of the size list again. 3.1.2.1.3 If a spot offered to a Region under 3.1.2.1.2 is declined, that spot becomes a spot to be allocated according to 3.1.2.1.2. 3.1.2.2 Divisions with eight teams 3.1.2.2.1 (6) One spot for each Region (BC, AB, PR, ON, QC, AT) 3.1.2.2.2 (2) Each Region gets one spot for every team from that Region that placed in the previous year s CUC final 3.1.2.2.3 (Balance) Remaining spots (including any spots left open from the above sections) will be given out as size wildcards to Regions that have filled all spots from section 3.1.2.2.1 and 3.1.2.2.2. The distribution of size wildcards will follow the same method listed in 3.1.2.1.2 and 3.1.2.1.3. 3.1.2.3 Divisions with twelve teams 3.1.2.3.1 (8) One spot for each Region (BC, AB, SK, MB,, ON, QC, MR, NL) 3.1.2.3.2 Multi-province Region (MR) receives another bid should NL decline its bid on condition that this bid is used by a team representing a different province. Representing a province is defined by replacing the word Region with province in sections 2.3.1.2 and 2.3.1.3 3.1.2.3.3 (4) Strength bids allocated based on a strength structure comparing depth of teams (similar to the USAU structure from
2011 and previous). All bid allocations are based on the placement of teams at the previous year s CUC. a) Regions with multiple teams will have their top team removed from consideration in the calculation of strength bids b) Regions that were allocated multiple bids in a division (in the initial allocation), but only sent one team to the CUC, will not be considered in the calculation of strength bids. c) All remaining teams will be considered and bids will be distributed based on their placement at the previous year s CUC with the five highest placing teams receiving a bid. d) No Region may receive more than three strength bids. Once a region receives three bids in the calculation of strength bids, all remaining placements from the region will be removed from consideration of additional strength bids. 3.1.2.3.4 (Balance) Remaining spots (including any spots left open from the above sections) will be given out as size wildcards to Regions that have filled all spots from section 3.1.2.3.1 and 3.1.2.3.2. The distribution of size wildcards will follow the same method listed in 3.1.2.1.2 and 3.1.2.1.3. 3.1.2.4 Divisions with sixteen teams 3.1.2.4.1 (8) One spot for each Region (BC, AB, SK, MB,, ON, QC, MR, NL) 3.1.2.4.2 Multi-province Region (MT) receives another bid should NL decline its bid on condition that this bid is used by a team representing a different province. Representing a province is defined by replacing the word Region with province in sections 2.3.1.2 and 2.3.1.3. 3.1.2.4.3 (5) Strength bids allocated based on a strength structure comparing depth of teams (similar to the USAU structure from 2011 and previous). All bid allocations are based on the placement of teams at the previous year s CUC. a) Regions with multiple teams will have their top team removed from consideration in the calculation of strength bids b) Regions that were allocated multiple bids in a division (in the initial allocation), but only sent one team to the
CUC, will not be considered in the calculation of strength bids. c) All remaining teams will be considered and bids will be distributed based on their placement at the previous year s CUC with the five highest placing teams receiving a bid. d) No Region may receive more than three strength bids. Once a region receives three bids in the calculation of strength bids, all remaining placements from the region will be removed from consideration of additional strength bids. 3.1.2.4.4 (Balance) Remaining spots (including any spots left open from the above sections) will be given out as size wildcards to Regions that have filled all spots from section 3.1.2.4.1, 3.1.2.4.2 and 3.1.2.4.3. The distribution of size wildcards will follow the same method listed in 3.1.2.1.2 and 3.1.2.1.3. 3.1.2.5 Divisions with twenty teams. 3.1.2.5.1 (10) One spot for each province 3.1.2.5.2 (1) One spot for the territories. If more than one territorial team bids to play at CUC, they can (A) hold a regional championship, or (B) award the bid to the territory with the least recent history of participation and the runner-up will be placed first in line for size wild-cards distributed after initial bid allocation. 3.1.2.5.3 (5) Strength bids, allocated as per 3.1.2.4.3 using provinces in place of regions. 3.1.2.5.4 (Balance) Remaining spots (including any spots left open from the above sections) will be given out as size wildcards to Regions that have filled all spots from section 3.1.2.5.1, 3.1.2.5.2 and 3.1.2.5.3. The distribution of size wildcards will follow the same method listed in 3.1.2.1.2 and 3.1.2.1.3. 3.1.2.5.5 Ultimate Canada is considering methods to identify small and isolated communities that could get second in line size wild cards distributed after initial bid allocation. 3.1.3 All division sizes in 3.1.2 refer to the originally planned size of the division. Bid allocations do not default to the next lowest level if fewer teams actually compete. 3.1.4 If a division is increased in size, then bids will be allocated on the basis of the original division size. All additional bids resulting from the increase will be
allocated as additional wildcard bids following the method listed in 3.1.2.1.2 and 3.1.2.1.3. 3.2 Regional Tournaments 3.2.1 All Regional tournaments for all playing divisions will be run under the same rules as those in this document. 3.2.2 All players who attend Regionals must be a current Ultimate Canada Registered Competitive Athlete in good standing (signed waiver and Ultimate Canada RCA fee paid) or have paid an Ultimate Canada one-event fee for the Regional tournament before the start of the tournament. 3.2.3 For dates of Regional tournaments, see Section 1.1. 3.2.4 Regional tournaments should follow generally accepted formats for determining a ranking of the entered team. It is recommended to Regionals TDs that Regional tournament formats follow The UPA Manual of Championship Series Tournament Formats. Other formats must be agreed to by the captains and/or approved by Ultimate Canada in advance of the tournament. 3.2.5 Regional tournaments are required in a Region with two or more teams in a division that have properly submitted a bid to compete at the CUC. 3.2.5.1 Regional coordinators can waive the requirement to play a Regional tournament if all teams unanimously agree on seeding within five days of Ultimate Canada announcing the teams that have sent in a deposit by the bid deadline. 3.2.5.1.1 Regional tournaments must be played if there are more teams that have properly submitted a bid than bids available to that region in a given division. 3.2.6 In the event that a suitable date for a Regional tournament cannot be found, a Regional coordinator is permitted to grant teams attending the WUCC, WUGC, PAUC or a USA Ultimate Pro or Elite flight event permission to not attend a Regional tournament and directly qualify for the CUC. The following criteria must all be met to exercise such an exemption: a) There is consultation with all teams that have properly submitted a bid to attend the CUC from the Region in the specific division. b) A seeding mechanism is determined through the consultation. c) It is approved by the Ultimate Canada CUC Competition Director or the Ultimate Canada Competition Committee. For a team attending USA Ultimate Pro or Elite event consideration will be given for past attendance at the CUCs. d) The teams that directly qualify for CUC without attending regionals follow the same roster rules for Regionals as the teams attending Regionals.
3.3 Seeding 3.2.7 Regional tournaments must be run independently of any other non-regional tournament unless one of the following criteria is met: a) There are four or fewer teams participating at Regionals. b) There are five teams participating at Regionals and only one bid is available c) There are five teams participating at Regionals and there are five bids available 3.3.1 After all team bids have been sent to CUC, Ultimate Canada will make the final decision on seeding the teams. 3.3.1.1 For each division, teams will be split into East (ON, QC, AT) and West (BC, AB, PR) and ranked by Ultimate Canada from 1 to x (where x = the number of teams from each side of the country). 3.3.1.2 Ultimate Canada will take the following into account when ranking teams: 3.3.1.2.1 Regional rankings 3.3.1.2.1.1 Regional results must be honoured. A team from one Region that has ranked higher than another team from the same Region must always be given a higher seed at CUC. 3.3.1.2.2 The Ultimate Canada Competition Director or the Ultimate Canada Competition Committee may set a hierarchy of tournaments that will be considered when determining seeding. Results from the highest-ranking tournament will take precedence over results from lower ranking tournaments. 3.3.1.2.3 Head-to-head results 3.3.1.2.4 Final placing from other tournaments 3.3.1.2.5 Previous years CUC results 3.3.1.3 Once the seeding lists have been created for each division, the 1st seed at CUC will be the top team from the side (East or West) of the country that the previous year s champion represented. The 2nd seed will be the top team from the other side of the country. Seeds will then alternate from one side of the country to the other until all teams are seeded. 3.3.1.3.1 Ultimate Canada may adjust the seeding procedure prescribed in 3.3.1.3 if there is a significant difference in the number and/or demonstrated strength of teams in from the East and
Section 4: Tournament Structure West sides in a given division and/or sufficient information from previous CUC results to merit a deviation as judged by the Ultimate Canada competition director. If the procedure is adjusted, Ultimate Canada shall inform all teams in the division of the reason for the adjustment. 4.0 Tournament Structure/Schedule (Pool Games and Playoffs) 4.0.1 The CUC Tournament will use the Structure and Schedule described in Appendix A of this document. The Ultimate Canada Competition Committee in consultation with the CUC Organizing Committee may vary the Structure and Schedule listed in Appendix A. Appendix A will be made available by June 1 of the tournament year. 4.0.1.1 If the number of teams in a division differs from the numbers identified in Section 3.0.1, the CUC Competition Director shall develop an alternative schedule for that division subject to the following guidelines: 4.0.1.1.1 Teams should play no more than four games in one day. 4.0.1.1.2 All teams should play at least seven games in the tournament. 4.0.1.1.3 With the exception of finals, and optionally bronze medal games, to be played on Sunday (see Section 4.0.3), the schedule should be designed to be played over three days. 4.0.1.1.4 Schedules are subject to approval by Ultimate Canada. 4.0.1.1.5 The UPA Manual of Championship Series Tournament Formats may be used as a guide in designing alternative schedules, subject to meeting the guidelines above. 4.0.2 The Masters divisions will all play final games on the second last day of the tournament. Mixed Masters may play its final game on the last day of the tournament should facilities permit. 4.0.3 The Open, Mixed and Women s division will play final games on the last day of the tournament, with the time slots rotating each year. 4.0.3.1 Immediately following all quarterfinal and semi-final games, all losing teams will be required to either play placement game(s) for final CUC rankings, or come to some decision as to which team will gain which final ranking. 4.0.3.1.1 If one team agrees to play a placement game and can field a legal team and the other team refuses to play or cannot field a
legal team, the team that was willing and able to play the game will be considered the winner of that game. 4.0.3.1.2 If neither team is willing to play the game and no agreement can be reached, then Ultimate Canada will assign the placement of each team based on head-to-head games or, failing that, point differential from the teams quarterfinal and semi-final games. 4.1 Tie Breakers 4.1.1 In the case of a tied record between two teams, the head-to-head results will be used to determine the higher-ranking team. 4.1.2 In the case of a tie between three teams, the record in the games between those teams will be considered. If teams are all 1-1 (a circular tie), point differentials will be calculated for the games between the three teams. If this results in a tie, points scored for each team in these games will be used. If this results in a tie, total point differential for the teams in all current pool games will be used. If this results in a tie, points scored for each team in all current pool games will be used. If this results in a tie, total point differential for all games played in the tournament will be used. If this results in a tie, total points scored for each team in all games in the tournament will be used. If this results in a tie, some random contest will be devised to determine the rank of these teams. 4.1.2.1 An example of the point differential is as follows: Games: (A Beats B 15-11), (B Beats C 15-13), (C Beats A 15-14) Team A: +3 points Team B: -2 points Team C: -1 points Team A will be ranked 1st, Team C 2nd and Team B 3rd. 4.1.2.2 After one team is selected, either being ranked 1st or 3rd, if the other two teams are tied on point differential, then the head-to-head result of the tied teams will be considered. 4.1.2.3 An example of the point differential then head-to-head is as follows: Games: (A Beats B 15-12), (B Beats C 15-13), (C Beats A 15-14) Team A: +2 points Team B: -1 points Team C: -1 points Team A will be ranked 1 st (because of point differential), Team B 2nd and Team C 3 rd (because Team B won head-to-head against Team C).
Section 5: Tournament Rules 5.0 Rules 5.0.1 All CUC Series games (Sectionals, Regionals, and CUC) shall use the same version of the rules of Ultimate as is currently endorsed by USA Ultimate, subject to the specifications below. The current official rules are the Official Rules of Ultimate, 11 th Edition. 5.0.2 The CUC series will vary from the Official Rules of Ultimate, 11 th Edition in the following ways: 5.0.2.1 In regards to the size of end zones, End zones for the CUC series will be 18 metres by 37 metres (Article III, Section A). 5.0.2.2 There is no longer a requirement to win by two (Article V, section A). 5.0.2.3 The overtime rules (when a game reaches 14-14 in a game to 15, Article V, Section C and Article VI, Section B.1) are no longer applied. 5.0.3 Ultimate Canada endorses genuine communication in either official language throughout the CUC Series including during active play when players may count stalls or call infractions in their language of choice. 5.0.4 Contact Call - If contact occurs between the thrower and marker that would constitute a foul under XVI.H.3.a but the thrower does not release the disc, "contact" may be called. Play does not stop and the marker resumes the stall count at "one". Other than resetting the stall count to "one" after the first instance, the "contact" call is treated as any other marking violation. The marker may contest the "contact" call by calling "violation", which stops play. If the thrower calls "contact" after beginning the throwing motion and subsequently releases the disc, it is treated as if the thrower called "foul". 5.1 Game Times and Points 5.2 Time 5.1.1 All pool, quarterfinal, semi-final and placement games will be played to a score of 15. These games will be scheduled for 90 minutes, with a hard time cap 85 minutes after the starting time. There is no soft time cap. 5.1.2 All final games will be played to a score of 15. These games will be scheduled for 120 minutes, with the soft time cap 105 minutes after the starting time. There is no hard time cap. 5.2.1 All games for all divisions shall be governed by the time rules below. The CUC will provide timekeepers to enforce these rules for all semi-final and final games.
5.2.1.1 Time Between Points: 5.2.1.1.1 Timekeepers will signal the time by blowing the whistle once at 50 seconds, twice at 70 seconds and three times at 90 seconds. 5.2.1.2 Time-outs: 5.2.1.2.1 Time-outs will also be timed. Timekeepers will signal the time by blowing the whistle once at 50 seconds, twice at 70 seconds and three times at 90 seconds. 5.2.1.3 Halftime: 5.2.1.3.1 Halftime will be no more than five minutes in length. From the time the last point of a half is scored, the new receiving team will have 4 minutes and 40 seconds to signal its readiness for the next pull. The pulling team will have an additional 20 seconds to pull the disc. 5.2.1.3.2 Timekeepers will signal the time by blowing the whistle once at 4 minutes and 20 seconds, twice at 4 minutes and 40 seconds and three times at 5 minutes. 5.3 Caps 5.3.1 For the final of every Division, there will be no hard cap. A soft time cap will be implemented at the conclusion of the current point once a game is within 15 minutes of its scheduled finish time. 5.3.1.1 Once the current point is concluded, the point cap will be changed to a number of points equal to the total number of points accumulated by the leading team, or both teams in the event of a tie, plus two. 5.3.1.1.1 In the case of one team being at or over the original intended score of the game, the game will end when one team gets to the original point cap. (Example: In a game to 15, if the soft time cap comes on when the score is 14-13, then the game will be played to 15.) 5.3.2 For all pool, quarterfinal, semifinal and placement games, there will be no soft time cap. A hard time cap will be implemented at the conclusion of the current point once the game is within 5 minutes of its scheduled finish time. 5.3.3 A halftime cap will take effect if neither team has reached eight points after 45 minutes in a 90-minute game or 60 minutes in a 120-minute game. 5.3.3.1 The current point is finished. If neither team has reached eight points then one point is added to the score of the leading team, or both teams in the event of a tie, to determine the new halftime target.
5.3.3.2 The number of time-outs available to each team is unaffected by the halftime cap. 5.4 Gender Ratio for Mixed Divisions 5.5 Forfeits 5.4.1 For all Mixed divisions (including any future age-defined Mixed divisions), the gender ratio will be defined as 4/3-3/4. 5.4.1.1 At the start of the game, after the first disc flip, an additional disc flip happens with the winner selecting which end zone is "End zone A", with the other end zone becoming "End zone B". At the start of each point the Team that is at End zone A must choose the gender ratio [4:3 or 3:4]. This process applies for the first half. For the second half, at the start of each point the Team that is at End zone B must choose the gender ratio. 5.4.1.2 The opposing team must match the gender ratio of the team in the End zone entitled to select the gender ratio. 5.4.1.3 In the case of a team fielding fewer than seven players, that team may not have more players of one gender on the field than the opposing team. 5.4.1.3.1 Example: Team A opts for four women and three men. Team B may play with three women and three men or four women and two men, but not with two women and four men. 5.4.1.3.2 Example: Team A opts for four men and two women (six players). Team B may play with four men and three women, but not three men and four women. 5.5.1 Any team that is shown to have an illegal roster after play has started (per Section 2.3) will forfeit any previously played game results at a score of 8-0. 5.5.2 If one team is not ready to play at the scheduled game start time, points may be assessed at a rate of one point for every five minutes until the team signals readiness to start play. If the score reaches or exceeds half the game total (i.e., 8-0 in a game to 15) before the other team signals readiness, that team forfeits the game by the score of 8-0. 5.5.3 If a team forfeits a game at the CUC or a Regional tournament, it forfeits all future games and finishes at the bottom of the tournament that year except for the following allowable forfeits: A) A placement game that is the last game of the tournament for both teams which neither team wishes to play. If it is a Regional tournament, then both teams must also be guaranteed to move on or have been eliminated.
B) A placement game that is the last game of the tournament for both teams, the teams have played twice with one team winning both games, and either one of the teams does not want to play the game. 5.5.4 The Regional Coordinator at Regional tournaments, or the Ultimate Canada CUC Competition Director at the CUC, have discretion to give teams that forfeit a game consideration to continue competing if they deem that the situation warrants an exception, provided that it does not affect the fairness or integrity of the competition. For instance, if a team misses the first game of the first day because of travel problems, consideration should be given. 5.5.5 If a team has a non-allowable forfeit at a Regional tournament, all players on the roster are disqualified for the remainder of the CUC Series in every division. 5.5.6 If the winner and loser of a scheduled game are not determined by playing Ultimate on the field in accordance with the CUC rules, it should be considered a forfeit for the loser and recorded as a score of 8-0 5.5.7 A team is considered to have forfeited a game if the number of players that can safely play falls below five. The game is recorded as a score of 8-0. 5.6 Observers 5.6.1 Observers will be available for all final games. Observers may be available for pool and playoff games if requested in advance and subject to availability. 5.6.2 In games with Observers, they shall have the following powers: - Active line calls, both in/out of bounds and in/out of the end zone. - Active off-side calls. - Active force-out foul calls (if the disc is caught out-of-bounds or not in the end zone and the Observer believes it would have been in-bounds or in the end zone except for the force-out foul). When this occurs, play stops and resumes with a check. - Enforcement of time limits (time will be kept by the Timekeeper as described in Section 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3). - Rulings on plays when requested by one of the players involved in the call. Facilitation of rulings on plays when players are taking more than 30 seconds. - Monitor conduct issues. Enforce sanctions as necessary. 5.7 Observer conduct sanctioning 5.7.1 Observers at CUC have the sanctioning powers listed in the Ultimate
Canada Player Misconduct System. Section 6: International Qualification 6.0 WFDF Tournament Qualification 6.0.1 Bids to Canadian teams for WFDF WUGC (Worlds), WUCC (World Clubs) and PAUC (Pan-American Ultimate Championships) will be primarily based on the results of CUC the year previous to the WFDF tournament. 6.0.1.1 The teams that win each playing division at the CUC the year before a World Ultimate and Guts Championship (WUGC) tournament shall appoint four members to a five-person WUGC national team selection committee responsible for that division of play. This committee will select the team representing Canada at the subsequent WUGC tournament. 6.0.1.1.1 A fifth member of each selection committee (an Ultimate Canada Selections Advisor) will be appointed by Ultimate Canada in an advisory role, providing guidance on best practices and Ultimate Canada policies. 6.0.1.1.2 The committee may select a national team roster by any reasonable means in accordance with the current policies and guidelines of Ultimate Canada, and subject to review by the appropriate Ultimate Canada Selections Advisor, Ultimate Canada Executive Director and/or the Ultimate Canada Competition Committee. 6.0.1.1.3 The selection committee must include on the national team roster no fewer than five players belonging to regions outside the home region of the national champions. Player regional status in this context is defined as the player's choice of the following: (a) region of residence for the majority of the calendar year of the world championship (b) region of residence for the majority of the calendar year prior to the world championship 6.0.1.2 After the CUC in the year before a World Ultimate Club Championship or a Pan-American Ultimate Championships, teams from each division must notify Ultimate Canada by September 30 of their desire to attend Worlds. Teams making such a request will then be ranked solely on their finish at the CUC. In the case of a tied finish or an ambiguous placing, the Ultimate Canada Competition Committee will determine the relative ranks of the teams in question.
6.0.1.2.1 Teams making an application to play at a WFDF club tournament that did not play in CUC will be ranked by the Ultimate Canada competition committee and placed after the lowest-ranked team from those applying that attended CUC. 6.0.1.3 Once Canada has been informed how many spots the country will get for each division at a WFDF club tournament, teams will be given spots from the top of the ranking list down. As wildcard bids come in, the next team on the list will be given the next spot. If any team declines a bid to a WFDF club tournament, it will be removed from the list and the next team will be given the bid. 6.0.2 In the case that Canada must send a team to a WFDF tournament in a division that was not contested at the previous year s CUC (example: Grandmasters or Mixed Masters) then Ultimate Canada shall come up with a selection process to create these teams.